My Lifestyle Journey

Yes- I need to update my blog.  I know.  I actually really want to but somewhere along the line I got stuck waiting for pictures from other people and when they didn't come. . .I lost my umph.

I really want to write about the journey I have been on tho so let me shimmy my way in here and tell you about it.  Stick with me.

The last couple years what have I been focused on (other than raising 5 kids :)?  My garden!  I felt like I spent my childbearing years in a fog and when that finally lifted my brain was a sponge and the liquid that was filling it was books about gardening.  There were many books on vegetables that led way to my love for perennial gardening books.  All along there were many books on composting and improving my soil with microbes and such.  The first, middle, and last one I read was "Teaming with Microbes" and it was a doozy. The second half I could wrap my brain around but the first half was too big for my brain talking about all the bacteria, fungi, and such in the ground and the effect they have on a plant taking up nutrients.  I finally decided to work my brain and read through it and it was very informative about how things are able to absorb nutrients.

About the same time I was reading that, my sister's came in town for Simeon's baptism.  Although they were extremely kind, I could sense they were searching for more healthy food in my home.  Sure, I had veggies at every meal and on the counter for snacking but there was a lot of crap going on too and I started to look around my kitchen too.  Holy Crap!  There was a ton of processed foods and red meat going on with sugar on top. It was right after Christmas and there was still plenty of sugar cookies going on.  Rory requested some for her half bday, Simeon requested them for his after baptism treats, and I made more for a Relief Society night. 

 Somewhere, sometime sugar and crap had crept back in our home and had made a Big Bird size nest in our kitchen and I felt like crap.  Our family was getting infections left and right.  I weighed more then I ever have other than pregnant.  We would work out but moving our bodies wasn't even close to making up for our bad eating.  I was tired and grumpy, on hormone and allergy meds and having bad headaches.

All in one day I decided to start using coconut oil,

detox baths, 

(because of pinterest and asking about it on facebook) and refound Green Smoothie Girl.

 I have posted on here for years about drinking green smoothies but I was intrigued by her 12 Steps to Whole Foods.  

I broke my cookie dough beaters that day and had to make more cookies for something else so I took off to Food2Store to get some more.  

The guy owns the store was helping someone else to I looked around.  He  had pressure canners, food dehydrators, wheat grinders, bosch stuff, freeze dried food, much more stuff, and sprouting supplies.  What's that?  Sprouting supplies?  I had seen something about that on Green Smoothie Girl (GSG).  I decided to get a sprouter and seeds.  

While talking to Kyle the owner he started to talk to me about enzymes, and good bacteria in our guts and I was blown away. All the things I had been learning about gardening and my soil and all the things I had been doing to help my soil applied to my belly too! Blown away.  I cared more for my garden then for my family.

I went home and decided to dive in the GSG website.  I couldn't just buy her 12 Steps so I found out what the topics are and I read all over the internet.  I put books on hold from the library about green smoothies, sprouting, coconut oil, fermenting food, natural and sourdough yeast, microgreens, and more.   And I read them all.  I have been reading her blog and watching her videos.  EVERYTHING I have read from her blog and the books has resonated true to my soul. 

She talks a lot about overcoming cancer and diseases and prevention.  I was hit with my role in keeping my kids from having so many of the prevalent problems in the world.  I was hit with keeping Roger and I around long enough to enjoy this family we have created with energy and vitality.  I needed to do this!

The next day, I got a UTI.  No kidding.  Another dumb infection in the house.  I started on Cranberry pills and decided I did NOT want antibiotics.  My parents, sisters and friends use doTERRA so I decided to try it.  I found someone local so I could try some samples fast but then I hmmed and hawed about oils working for a couple days.  Looking on this awesome gals facebook page I saw Green Smoothie Girl making comments. What?  The same GSG I had pouring myself over?  This doTERRA gal Amanda Olsen is one of GSG's right hand gal and lives here in Boise.  Call me more intrigued.

I looked more on GSG and found that she has partnered up with doTERRA.  I was so emotionally invested in GSG by this point I felt a pull towards doTERRA.  I contacted Amanda and she is so sweet and so helpful.

She did not have everything that I needed but I started the regimen and I felt almost better.  This was the worst I had ever had and right when I about called myself well, the infection hit my kidney and I was to pass out.  I got a dang antibiotic.  I felt sad but hoped that if my body was in better shape and if I had started earlier it would have worked.

Then I got a yeast infection and to save a little dignity I won't go into too much detail but I was able to beat that with oils. Yeah!

Then the kids got pink eye.  I tried oils again but felt this dang sense of urgency to get them back to school so used drops too.

I tell you these non success stories to say oils isn't an end all be all either.  Our diet is important in protecting our bodies too.  I REALLY want to be done with all thing synthetic and/or abusive to my body.  I REALLY want to have a clean plant based diet 

GSG came to town and I felt like I was going to a rock concert!  

Call me silly right?  I took my MIL and Rory.  Because I read so much I didn't learn anything new:)  but I loved it.  I wanted to become a part of the GSG team.  The way to do it is selling doTERRA too.  Hmmmm.  I can tell you individually why that is if you are curious.

doTERRA.   Multi-level marketing.  Do you know that I am so ANTI anything multi-level marketing?  Big time.  BIG TIME.  Somehow or another I decided that working with GSG was more important than my loath and I am now a part of the Green Smoothie Girl Team and I have my own doTERRA spot

What does this mean?  I will likely talk to you about nutrition in general when we talk because I like to.  I won't bug you about doTERRA- promise. I will be helping teach classes with/under Amanda.  We taught a Medicine Cabinet Makeover class night and have many more to come in the next few weeks and   other classes like Healing with Essential Smoothies and such.  There is a Idaho Green Smoothie Girl Facebook page that lists the upcoming events if you are interested

My sister's that we just had here less than 2 months ago will probably wonder what the heck happened to my home.  I feel so blessed to be on the path that I am to clean up my body and mind.  Yes, I have lost at least 10 lbs, my stretch marks are disappearing with the coconut oil, but I am also off hormones and allergy meds and feel great!

4th of July Brain Surgeon

This summer we went on many unpictured adventures.  We went to Roaring Springs, swimming, floating the Boise River, Ward Campout, Discovery Science Center, the Aquarium, Zoo, Jumptime. . .um, I can't really remember what else because I did not take pictures.  Bummer.  JT had band class for 3 weeks, 2 scout camps, and wrestling camp.  Rory had the band class and volleyball camp.  Simmy had swimming and tennis lessons.  We also celebrated Rory and Roger's birthdays and Grandma and Grandpa's too with not a single picture taken.

I do however have these random pictures from the 4th of July.

Can you tell what JT is doing?? His is performing brain surgery.  After I gave my children the example of chalk art where you jump in the art, he thought for .2 secs and decided to draw his goal job.  That is the kind of kid he is.

Levi drew his 1st picture- on our neighbors driveway.  It remained their for months because there is no rain in this place.  Sorry neighbors.  I finally hosed it down.

We also played with bubbles, bounced in our little bounce house, and  fired up fireworks in our driveway.

Good fun!

May Garden

Hi.  How's it going?  It no fun to post without pictures and I was lousy about taking pictures of our adventures this summer.  Lousy.  I also didn't really think people check my blog anymore but the more family and friends I saw the last few months the more I realized that you are checking- or should I say lurking.  I have really loved having photo books sitting on my coffee table made out of this blog so I best be shaping up.

Perennial gardening has been the biggest surprise for me this year.  Last year I had almost no interest in pretty plants and flowers- only things I could eat, the bulbs that came up in spring and composting.  After spending my spring planting fruit bushes and vines and getting my veggies on their way I became obsessed with making my home beautiful for as much of the year as possible.  I devoured perennial books like they were novels and read them over and over.  My mind was a new sponge after years of having pregnant mushy brain.  I needed to know everything about every plant there is.  I made a spreadsheet to keep track of the needs of everything I already had growing and everything I planted.  My favorite place to be was a garden store.  This became my new hobby and I LOVE it.

These are the last pictures of my garden and the yard changed dramatically since then.  I have since planted 100s of perennials and the vegetable garden grew beautifully.  My camera has been a pain and my plants were puny since I bought them cheap and small.  They will be gorgeous next year and then I will show them off.

On one of the last snows I threw out hundred of poppy seeds and enjoyed their beauty.

I consider my vegetable and fruit to have gone moderately well this year.  I would have loved to bring in more raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, pumpkins, corn and tomatoes than I did but other things went really well. 

I bagged loads of spinach

I watched watermelons hang from the vine

I decided I detest cress and arugula

We ate a ton of peas and carrots and I pressure canned many pints of carrots and green beans

My kids love eating right from the garden 

I also canned grape juice, dill and sweet pickles, pickled beets, pickled green bean, pickled peppers, tomato soup and tomato sauce.  We ate pesto all summer and have a little bit frozen.  We ate fresh pico de gallo, salads, broccoli, radishes, sweet and hot peppers, My yellow, and green zucchini were not too overbearing. We had a few dozen cherries and a handful of peaches that were amazing from the trees we planted last year.  I really enjoyed eating fresh and experimenting with veggies we picked.

I have learned plenty and was sad when the first frost hit.  I look forward to an even better year next year.

Awards

Longest.awards.assembly.EVER.

I can't really complain.  Jt and Rory came home with a hefty load but do kids really need to get an award for choir, band, and orchestra.  Did we not clap our hearts out for them at their concerts.

Jt won the Lions International award for his Patriotism essay for the 5th grade.

He also received one for Choir, Band, Student Council, and Honor Roll, and Personal Best.  The personal best was given to the 4 kids in his class who has a 4.0 the whole year and signed up and participated in everything he possibly could.  Jt is definitely a go getter.


Roty received one for Choir, Honor Roll, Student Council, and Reading Achievement.  She mentioned that Rory and her bf were always the one to laugh at jokes that no one else gets during the book that is read aloud.


They are both so dang smart in their own ways.  Way to go kids!


Shall I mention here that in 1st grade they only get one award a year and Simeon received his in the very beginning of the year and I missed it for no good reason.


Way to go Simmy!  Your are insanely smart too!

Years off my Life

When Roger and I were first married, I had separation issues.   My sister had only died 8 months before and I was scared to bawling everyday that he would not come home because of some accident or another.  Every time I heard sirens I would panic.  He "laid down a law" telling me I could not worry unless he had been gone for 24 hours.  I am sure I would not be able to go that long but it did help me relax a bit.


Fast forward into the not very far future when we starting making babies.  I would say that most moms think my "leash" with my kids is too long and I let them stray too far from me to be safe.  I would agree that my leash is longer than most but part of that is so I could come a little closer to the length of Roger's leash.  His is oober long.  No doubt he loves his kids as did our parents who let us roam the neighborhood/city or their parents who let them travel cross country with a sibling at a young age.  Is it fair saying these days are different?


We don't always agree on how far Jt can ride his bike but slowly I have given up the reigns on the distance I am okay with.  Last week I wasn't asked for approval and he traveled on scary traffic roads.  I held my breath the whole time but he made it home safe.


My saying all that has set up tonight's scenario.  Jt rides his bike to scouts.  It has taken me while to be okay with that but its a pretty straight shot 1.5 miles away but it crosses a few intersections and does not have sidewalks most of the way.  A whole half hour after he was supposed to come home I started to get nervous.  I give myself credit for waiting that long.  I thought back to when he should have come home and I remembered hearing sirens really close.  I checked my phone to be sure because Rory made a call at the time I heard the sirens and that was when he should have been close.


We hop in the car and I can feel my heart drop and I am holding back tears because I don't want to panic.  I call Roj who did not answer his phone (he was still working) to get the scout leader's #.  I make it to scouts and his bike is not there which means he did leave and is not home.


Seriously?

• sirens
• 40 min late
• no bike

I call my friend who has a boy in his troop to get the leader's #.  She let me know that the scouts went on a bike ride and had not returned. She was at the church for another son's pack meeting and he would find her when he arrived.  Whew!  Years off my life I tell you.  I called my neighbor to vent and calm down while I waited.  My friend at the church texted me to tell me he was on his way and I waited outside.


He rode up with a look on his face that suggested he knew I would be worried.  He told me he had asked to use his leader's phone and he brushed JT off (I could ring his leader's neck).  I told him calmly my scare and could only say that I just really love him.  He gave me a tight hug.


Could you imagine life with out Jt?  It would be so horrible.

More Flowers

The other day I laid down on the couch in our bedroom and looked out the window and saw this beauty.

Is it lamo that I love love love my flowers and trees?  2 owners ago planted so many gorgeous trees, shrubs, and perennials.  The last owner did so much damage but we are reviving the,

I have planted quite a few things too like these awesome tulips.

These azaleas and rhododendrons never bloomed last year and I glad they appeared this year.

Summer flowers via seeds I scattered are just starting to show up and I can't wait.

The rest of the trees are amazing too but that may be another post.  Maybe.

GGma Bday

Recently we were able to celebrate Roger's great grandmother 90th birthday at our home. Most of Lucimae's children and some grand and  great grand were able to come. 

Her piano came to live at our house for awhile and so we sang songs to celebrate :)

So glad everyone came- it was good fun!